What Was The Dragon War In Skyrim?

Skyrim is an ancient land with a colourful history marked by countless wars and conflicts that saw the wheel of power spin incessantly. Not only did it witness the rise of the Nords and the fall of the Snow Elves, but it also saw one of the most epic early conflicts – one between Dragons and Men.

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Long before Men ruled Skyrim, the Dragons were essentially king-like figures, revered and worshipped. However, the mortal races – particularly Nords – became sick of the Dragons’ tyrannical rule and rebelled, sparking one of the longest and most brutal wars in Tamriel’s history. Dive into one of the most momentous events in Skyrim history.

The Atmorans And The Dragons

The worship of the Dragons began in the Merethic Era with the arrival of the Atmorans, who were the precursors to the Nords, Imperials and the Bretons. According to the Atmoran religion, the Dragons were the foremost figures of their pantheon, believing them to be the incarnations of the gods. As a result, they were known as the Dragon Cult.

Dragons were already roaming the skies of Skyrim even before the Atmorans came and welcomed their worship of them. As outlined by in-game lore and confirmed by Paarthurnax, Dragons were the children of Akatosh, the dragon god of time. Due to this fact, the Dragons predictably believed in their superiority and right to rule over the mortal races.

This is bolstered by the fact that, at the time, only Dragons had mastery over the Voice.

However, the Dragons themselves couldn’t be bothered with the act of governing their subjects and left the hard work to be done by a select few of their Dragon Priests. Not only were they tasked with creating a set of laws for Men to follow, but the Dragons also demanded their subjects pay them tribute.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Dragons’ rule became tyrannical and domineering, treating the mortals under their rule as nothing more than slaves.

The Dragon War

As the oldest and strongest among the Dragons, Alduin was most revered by the Atmorans. However, Alduin had a different destiny as the ‘World-Eater’, created by Akatosh and fated to destroy the world to birth a new one. But due to his lust for power, Alduin diverged from his destined path to rule over Skyrim.

After many years of rule, the Nords, led by the legendary heroes Hakon One-Eye, Felldir the Old and Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, rebelled against the Dragons’ rule and kickstarted the Dragon War. Naturally, the Dragons’ use of the Voice and their combined might were able to defeat the initial onslaught of rebels.

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But at some point during the war, Alduin’s younger brother and lieutenant, Paarthurnax, switched to side with the rebels. It is unclear what caused this change of loyalties and Paarthurnax himself didn’t elaborate when you spoke to him, but it is suggested that the goddess Kyne (or Kynareth) was the one who ordered him to. This betrayal sparked several other dragons to change sides too.

With Paarthurnax’s help, the three Nordic heroes learned how to master the Voice and use it against the Dragons.

The End Of The War

With their newly attained knowledge, the Nordic heroes band together to create a Shout that was specifically made to harm Dragons: Dragonrend. This Shout essentially grounds a Dragon by forcing the idea of mortality onto them, which is something they can’t wrap their minds around being immortal creatures.

Despite their mastery of the Voice and the Dragonrend Shout, it was not enough to defeat Alduin. However, with the help of an Elder Scroll, Felldir was able to displace Alduin forward into time. Without the huge losses on both sides and the disappearance of Alduin, the Dragon War ended in victory for Men.

The remaining Dragon Priests were either killed or managed to scurry away and hide. They also set about burying the corpses of dragons defeated during the war in Dragon mounds, believing Alduin’s return would cause their resurrection – which was exactly what the Last Dragonborn faced in their journey to finally defeat Alduin.

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
81/100


Critics Recommend:
83%

Released

November 11, 2011

Developer(s)

Bethesda Game Studios

Expansions

Skyrim: Dragonborn, Skyrim: Hearthfire, Skyrim: Dawnguard

Metascore

96